


Body Troubles

by Redmangos



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 57th Expedition, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Blood, Experiment, Female Armin Arlert, Gen, Genderbending, Kidnapping, Mad Scientists, Military, Military Uniforms, Minor Character Death, Potions, Saving Humanity, Saving the World, Soldiers, Teenagers, Titan Shifters, Titans, Wall Rose - Freeform, Wall Sina - Freeform, Worry, titan smell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-24 04:39:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4905802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redmangos/pseuds/Redmangos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not in work anymore.</p><p>Armin wakes up one day as a girl and later founds out it's all of Hange's doing. After discovering that it's not only his gender that changed and that Hange's concoction has done something completely unexpected that could save humanity, he starts to understand what Eren is going through as someone "special". He now has more problems to worry about then his gender and his low self-esteem. As the second person able to save humanity and a much less dangerous person at that, a few wonder what would happen if they got their hand on the "Saving Elixir" that changed him and what advantages it would bring to them...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What happened to you, Armin?

**Author's Note:**

> So, in the beginning, this is happening some time between the 104th training squad joining the Survey Corps and the 57th expedition.

An unknown yet familiar voice broke the nearly silent early morning. The shriek was enough to wake up every single individual occupying the room. Years of military training had given them a certain ease in waking up.

They looked at each other before navigating in the dim lightning. Bertolt nearly tripped on someone on the floor.

“What, who is that?”

Light soon illuminated the room to answer Bertolt’s question.

What everyone guessed to be Armin was kneeling on the floor, his hand over his mouth. The first thing the guys noticed was how slender Armin’s back was. Sure, he wasn’t the person with the manliest or sturdiest figure in the world but he wasn’t the complete opposite either. It also seemed that his hair had grown a few inches since they last saw him which was _yesterday._

Armin’s hand lowered in what seemed like slow motion as he slowly turned around to look at the others.

A collection of gaps escaped the guys’ mouths.

Armin had changed _a lot_ overnight. Breasts, wider hips, bigger thighs, and a much more slender figure were part of the changes.

“Holy shit,” Connie let out.

Several looks were exchanged between the confused boys.

“Um, am I dreaming or something?” Reiner asked to no one in particular.

Eren was looking at the blond girl on the floor with disbelief in his teal eyes.

"A-Armin?"

Armin nodded at a slow pace like he wasn't sure himself.

"Mirror," he uttered in his now higher voice. "Eren, give me a mirror."

Eren got up and hurried to find a hand mirror in the dim lightning. Armin gasped when he saw his own face.

Armin now had long and thick eyelashes framing his blue eyes. His face had become rounder and his features were softer. His nose was smaller though it was only noticeable if you focused on it. His lips were now fuller and had more color to them. 

A high-pitched sound left his lips as he patted his face multiple times. Eren kneeled down beside his childhood friend.

"Armin, what happened to you?" he asked softly.

Blond strands flew as the only girl in the room shook her head and raised her arms.

"How should I know? I woke up because I was in pain and now I have breasts.  _Breasts!"_

The boys all looked down in response to Armin's last word. Armin rolled his eyes to try and handle the uncomfortable feeling he had begun feeling because of all those eyes on him.

"I knew you'd look good as a girl but damn..." Reiner let out.

"That's the gayest thing you've said yet," Jean replied. 

"Hey, he kind of looks like Krista," Connie commented.

"Oh, that's true," Bertolt replied.

"Guys..." Eren sighed.

Armin suddenly got up, cutting their comments short. The boys all had the chance to truly observe their friend's body. None of them dared to say anything as Armin fixed his shirt, seemingly uneasy.

"Captain Levi is awake at this time, right? Do you guys want to tell him about this...peculiar problem of mine while I change?"

The tone in Armin's voice told them he wasn't giving them a choice. They watched him as he turned around to get his uniform.

They all exchanged a variety of looks before leaving the room to speak to their captain.


	2. Armin Arlert?

MThe new survey corps members were all gathered in the dining room. Captain Levi was sitting down, his legs crossed and his cup of tea in one hand. Petra and her companions all curiously watched the younger soldiers.

Everyone's eyes were trained on the familiar yet different person standing before the captain.

Armin's uniform fitted but it was slightly bigger now that his shoulders and torso had lowered in size and width. It was more noticeable on his thighs where the white pants were stinking to him like loose leggings.

His shirt was barely large enough to accommodate the added fat. Of course, no undergarment meant his shirt took the shape of what was under. Thankfully, the now larger brown vest covered most of his chest.

Levi sipped his bitter drink, his eyes going up and down Armin's body.

"Armin Arlert?"

Everyone's eyes shot to Armin's face, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, sir," he answered quietly.

Levi's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell? Titan shifters and now people can change sex? What's happening to this shitty world?" he muttered as he set his cup down.

That seemed to be the signal for everyone to start speaking. The slew of questions hit him like an avalanche. He tried his best to answer them.

"So we'll have to adress you as a she now I guess," Ymir noted, a visible smile on her lips.

Armin actually did wonder if this would be the case.

"I don't know. If I stay like this forever than yes..."

The silence that followed his words enhanced the intensity of everyone's jump when the door suddenly flew open. Hange came in, her eyes as brilliant as the sun behind the frames of her glasses. The grin on her lips told everyone she had either done something or discovered something. Everyone's eyes followed her as she walked over to Armin with quick steps. Armin let out a quiet gasp when she suddenly grabbed his shoulders.

"So it did do something.... Something unexpected!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Armin blinked a couple times.

"What?" he let out.

He was almost scared to ask.

"I chose you to be my test subject, Arlert. I slipped a little something into your drink two days ago and I can finally see the results!" she explained as she raised her glasses with a single finger.

All Armin could think of was that Squad Leader Hange sounded like a man at a bar trying to drug women late at night.

Levi crossed his arms.

"That's why you're still here." He sighed. "You're going to end up being the cause of humanity's downfall if you keep doing stupid things like that."

He was completely ignored, though it may not have been intentional on Hange's part. The excited squad leader started walking toward the door, bringing Armin with her.

"I've tested on rats and it's not dangerous at all. Anyways, I'll be taking Arlert from you guys."

With that, the two crossed the door and left the room. Armin had no idea where they were headed and just kept walking.

"Squad leader Hange... Please tell me I won't be staying like this too long," he said, his worry audible in his voice.

While the boys weren't in the room, all he could think about was that he would stay like this for a long, really long time, and that strange side effects would come with it. He didn't want to be dissected or tested it on. He'd rather die than go through who knows what.

The look he received did nothing to ease his growing anxiety.

"I don't know what happened to you, Arlert, and that's what we're going to find out."

He didn't like the sound of that.

They soon arrived in front of a door. Armin frowned at it and looked around. The door didn't look any different from the others. He had passed this door before but he didn't know what was beyond it.

"This is your room from now on, Arlert," Hange announced.

She opened the door and they both entered.

The room was small and modest. There was a bed on the right and a wooden table along with a chair and a lamp on the left. The window wasn't barricaded or anything of the like so it was just a normal room.

Armin could only guess she had planned to isolate him in here.

"I'll go and get a nurse to check you out. I want to know every change and I'm sure you also do so I suggest you cooperate. Of course, I'll tell you what you ingested. I won't leave you in the dark. Don't leave this room, I'll be back in a minute."

The door closed and Armin was left alone.

His sight automatically lowered to his different yet not new body. He hadn't dared to look while he changed earlier and so, he had no idea how he looked like under his neck.

The first thing he noticed was that of course, he had breasts instead of a flat chest. He dared to look after an inner talk. He was almost angry that they looked genuine. His legs had also fattened up slightly and his hips did get wider though not so much. His arms hadn't change much though his hands had gotten even smaller.

He didn't have visible muscles to start with and this change to his body did nothing to help. His eyes lowered to between his legs and his mind soon wandered.

"Will I go through a menstrual cycle? And what in the world do I do when I have to use the bathroom?" He whispered to himself.

Of course, his questions were left unanswered but he longed for the answer like he longed to see the world far beyond the walls.

The door suddenly opened and he nearly had a heart attack.


	3. Titan bodily fluids

He sighed when the two women entered the room. Hange and a woman with blond hair, small gray eyes, and a white dress entered. The woman's eyes were immediately fixed on him.

"This is Laura. She will be checking you out."

After half a minute, he was down to his shirt and white pants. Another thirty seconds later, hands were on him.

It felt strange to be groped like this but he knew it was necessary. He never really imagined something like that would ever happen in his life. He had wished to change many times in the past but this was a bit too much.

"Does it hurt?" Laura asked as she pressed on his hips.

Armin answered affirmatively, his eyes on a crack on the wall. He was trying his best not to look and  _be_ embarrassed and it was barely working. Hange's unwavering gaze didn't help in any way.

"It seems to hurt the most where serious changes have taken place," The nurse concluded.

That was what Armin had suspected. His hips, chest, and the bones of his shoulders were sore to the point of being painful. The worst was his lower abdomen. It felt like a burning iron club was digging into him. He was truly feeling it now.

Laura straightened up.

"I'll get you some pain killers. Now, tell me the changes that aren't visible. There must be some, right?"

Hange nodded in agreement. Armin looked down at himself and thought about it.

"I feel light... Really light," he began. "And I feel really... powerful. That's all, I think."

Laura brought her fingers to her chin.

"Like titans."

Two pairs of eyes turned to Hange.

"I don't know about feeling powerful, but your lightness is just like titans," she noted.

Armin brought a nervous hand to his hair.

"I'm not turning into a titan, am I?" he asked, the shaking in his voice audible only to him.

Hange shrugged.

"Maybe, I don't know. The rats I tested the potion on didn't get any bigger but it might be different for humans."

Armin wanted Hange to stop speaking. Everything that left her mouth worried him.

Armin put his uniform back on and sat down on the bed beside him. Hange understood this gesture as a signal for her to start with her explanations.

"Well, as you know, I love to learn new things about the titans. You're always bound to discover something interesting. Since we had two titans at our disposition, I thought of using them to their full extent. So I made a little something and slipped it into a drink. You ended up being the lucky fellow to drink it."

Armin begged to differ but said nothing until an unsettling thought came to mind as he analyzed her words.

"You said using titans and drinking... What was that "little something" made of?" he asked slowly.

The nurse seemed to be as curious as Armin was. Hange fixed her glasses.

"Well, let's just say it contains titan bodily fluids."

The grimace Armin made wasn't enough to show how disturbed he was. He had nothing in his stomach to throw up thankfully.

Hange continued without acknowledging Armin's and the nurse's apparent disgust.

"It was difficult to get, you know. It evaporates so fast! I tested a bit of it on some rats. They changed sex just like you did and were actually lighter than they were initially. That's it though. The dose was small even compared to its size so it might not be accurate but now I have a life-size subject! Don't worry though, I will treat you well."

Armin really hoped so.

Hange later allowed him to go have breakfast and speak to his friends before taking the whole day to sleep the pain off. They all surrounded him as he ate his breakfast.

"We decided to call you a he after all," Ymir announced.

"We can't really see you as a girl," Jean added.

Armin nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'd rather you still think of me as a male."

Sasha ripped a piece of bread and threw it in her mouth.

"He really does look like Krista," she commented.

Connie smiled.

"Right?" he replied.

Krista leaned in to observe Armin's face.

"Really?" she let out in a high voice.

Mikasa sipped on her soup.

"We could probably switch the two."

Reiner crossed his arms.

"It could be an effective disguise."

Eren sighed.

"Guys, let him eat."

They all continued talking to him despite Eren's words and Armin happily spoke with them.

Armin got up after finishing his meal. He felt sore and he just wanted to sleep right now. He left his friends and walked to his new room. He was actually grateful to be alone to sleep. He had spent years sleeping with the others and now it was a welcomed break from it.

Deep down, he actually liked having a room to himself because it made him feel a little bit different from everyone else. Even Eren, the titan shifter and the key to humanity's fate wasn't treated any better but in fact was looked on with suspicious eyes. Well, again, it wasn't known what was going on with him and the two could not be any more different from each other.

He sighed and closed his eyes. There was no use worrying about this now.

He easily fell asleep.


	4. You won't be kept alive, not a single one of you.

Armin just had his first shower as a female, something he never imagined he would be doing in his life.

It felt like he was intruding on his own body. Feeling all those curves and bones was uncomfortable to say the least. His fingers had been shaking slightly all the while as he rubbed soap on his skin. All he could think was that he was some kind of pervert.

He had never touched a girl's body before and now the one he was touching was his own. It was just ridiculous and unbelievable to him. As a result, he took the fastest shower he had ever taken in his life, even faster than the usual short showers everyone took here.

He was now walking back to his room, the towel around his neck catching cold drops of water. He noticed Hange and Squad Leader Mike speaking to each other. They both seemed casual so he assumed their conversation wasn't too serious. He would just have to briefly greet them.

As if he sensed his presence, Mike quickly looked up in Armin's direction. Mike was visibly on guard with his arms spread and his legs slightly crouched. Armin slowed down without realizing it. Mike's large nose was scrunched up and his eyes were narrowed. Hange raised an eyebrow and followed Mike's gaze.

"Oh, Armin," she called out.

"Hange."

Hange turned to Mike. He had wariness in his eyes as he observed Armin.

"I don't know what you made him swallow but..."

He brought a knuckle to his nose and inhaled noisily.

"He stinks," he finished.

Hange frowned.

"Stinks?"

Mike nodded slowly.

"Stinks like a titan."

Hange stared at him for a moment before gesturing for Armin to come over. Armin noticed he had stopped walking altogether. He didn't like the Squad Leader's words at all. Just having the word "titan" associated with him troubled him.

_What does he mean, smells like a titan?_

Mike approached him when he was a couple of feet away. Armin frowned as Mike leaned forward with his eyes closed. He took an involuntary step back when he heard sniffing and felt rather warm breath on his neck. He couldn't help but think of a dog sniffing someone it meets for the first time.

"W-what?" Armin let out.

A small smile formed on Hange's lips.

"Sorry, Mike has a habit of doing that," she turned to Mike. "So?"

He sniffed one last time before straightening up. He brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest.

"No doubt about it. I've smelled enough titans to be sure," he answered.

Armin stared at him. He was disturbed on many levels.

_The titan bodily fluids were enough to change the way I smell? And this man can tell?_

Mike caught his gaze, his eyes still narrowed.

"You might be turning into a titan, kid," he told him.

Armin swallowed hard.

_Oh, why me?_

His eyes unconsciously moved to Hange and the later blinked in response.

"No you aren't, don't worry. You just put on some titan perfume, that's all," she assured him.

"You know no more than I do," Armin retorted immediately, his voice low.

Hange's eyes moved away and slowly came back to him.

"Well, I guess that's true..." she admitted.

Armin's eyes moved down to his body. He had changed so much in a day and it had caught him off-guard. Now, his mind was unorganized and a mess.

"If this kid dies or is killed, it will be your fault," Mike told her in a low voice.

Armin didn't look up.

"Nothing will happen to him." Hange muttered.

Mike snorted in response and Armin finally looked up. He had slight fear in his eyes like he knew the words that were going to leave his mouth wouldn't do him any good.

"Perhaps, this could be an advantage." He said quietly.

He brought a hand to his damp hair and ran nervous fingers through his bangs as his two superiors looked down at him.

"If I smell like a titan, maybe they won't acknowledge me? Or at least, they just won't pursue me like they would for an ordinary person."

He was thinking ahead so he knew what would happen. He would have to test his hypothesis out which meant he would have to approach the titans alone. The thought alone made him uneasy and fear for his life. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like. He would be abandoned somewhere outside of the wall and titans would surround him, all of them fighting for who got to swallow him up as he screamed in sheer terror.

Mike's arms lowered to his hips.

"They will still see that you're human. They aren't blind."

"No... We have to test it."

Two pairs of eyes moved to Hange. Armin's shoulders were suddenly grabbed.

"This is worth it, Armin! Even if they do see you as a human, we might still be able to find out if maybe, just maybe blind titans exist! It might not even be that. We could discover something completely unexpected. We lose nothing in trying, right?"

The excitement was clear in her voice and her will could be seen in her brown eyes. All Armin could do was watch her face light up as unspoken thoughts filled her mind. She raised her glasses with a little push from her left hand.

"Erwin needs to know."

And with that, she was already leaving, her footsteps quick and light. Mike sighed and looked back at Armin.

"I know what you're thinking. 'Why did it have to be me', right? Don't take it personally. In fact, she treats everyone mostly the same. You were just the unlucky fellow to have unknown substances in your drink. I'm sure you'll check everything you ingest from now on."

Armin addressed him a smile.

"That was a bit reckless of her though. I'm surprised I haven't fallen ill yet."

Mike looked back in the direction that Hange left.

"Well, she's known for that. I'll go and join her. Go rest in the meantime. I'm sure you'll have a lot of work next time you wake up." He told him.

"Right."

Armin watched Mike's back as he walked away. He sighed softly and pulled on his towel to throw it on his head.

_What a mess I've gotten in._

\---

The wind blew in his now longer hair as he looked down at the ground far below. Titans had already gathered because of the human presence on the wall. From high up, titans seemed so small yet reality was so far from what he was seeing.

He was afraid of those nearly brainless creatures yet he had to go and meet them.

Levi and his Special Operations Squad along with Eren and Mikasa were with him to ensure nothing serious happened to him when he would lower himself into pure danger. Hange and Mike were there to observe and report to Commander Erwin. The rest hadn't come so not to attract too many titans.

Armin didn't like this. He had felt enough terror in the battle of Trost; he had no need for more. At least, it wasn't like he had thought earlier. He wasn't being abandoned or anything. His comrades were there to keep him safe. 

He stared down, his blues eyes wide. Eren and Mikasa walked over to him at the edge of the wall. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head to see Eren.

"Will you be ok?" Eren asked him, concern in his voice.

Armin managed to smile at him.

"This isn't difficult, I'll be fine. The result of this test might change everything, just like your titan shifting power, Eren." He said softly.

He fully turned around to face the two. He looked at his childhood friends with serious, unwavering eyes.

"I am counting on you two to keep me alive."

There was a look in his blue eyes that told them he trusted them wholeheartedly and that the trust he had for them should be compensated for with actions.

They both nodded, their eyes showing they understood his message.

"Arlert, it's time." Levi announced.

Armin nodded and turned back around to face beyond the walls. The remains of the many houses where hundreds of people had lived stared back at him and he remembered why he had wanted to become a soldier. It wasn't only the desire to help humanity or even the desire to have a sure way to live. It was the desire to see beyond the walls that overcame everything. The desire to see those vast bodies of water that shone in the sun and the lands filled with golden grains and devoid of any water; that was one of his only dreams in life.

He grabbed the handles of his gear and walked forward until the tip of his boots were beyond the edge. Everyone gathered around him and he looked at them one last time before letting himself fall off the wall like he had given up on life.

His heart clenched for a second as he started seeing the light, orange-tainted sky above. His hair flew in all directions as gravity quickly pulled him down. His heart sped up as he got closer and closer to the mass of titans below at high speed. He quickly noticed something was amiss. The titans underneath him didn't seem to look forward to their meal. They just stared at him, in mild curiosity perhaps.

Armin turned around in the air with unusual grace and pushed down on the triggers of his handles. The hooks shot out rapidly to dig into the wall before him. His boots made contact with the wall and he looked down. They were still staring at him, barely moving an inch. He wasn't too far from them. Those big, unwavering eyes fixed on him unsettled him.

He looked up and Levi gestured to keep going with a flick of his hand. A soft breath left Armin's lips before he fell farther down. He stopped a few feet away from the 7 meters class titans. He was close enough for them to be able to catch him if they jumped.

Armin was both relieved and surprised. The titans were still staring, intrigue now showing on their grotesque faces. Armin could guess they were confused to see this titan-smelling human. He wasn't sure how long this confusion and curiosity would last but he hoped it wasn't temporary. If this sort of reaction was permanent, it would truly make progress in freeing humanity of its chains.

Armin took a deep breath and relaxed. He somehow felt like they could somehow sense their fear and would act according to it, just like animals, so he relaxed and evacuated all the fear he could manage before speaking to them.

"Don't you want to eat me?" He asked, his voice low and steady. "I'm right there, you know."

Of course, they didn't understand his language, well that was what everyone thought, but Armin still felt it was necessary to speak to them.

"I smell like you, now. Will I become part of you all? Will I turn into a mindless giant?" His asked, his voice rising as he spoke.

His anxiety wasn't in control just yet. It hadn't even been a week since he had ingested Hange's concoction so he was oblivious to what was happening to him. He could be turning into a titan for all he knew and he might not even be a titan shifter at that.

A joyless smile formed on his lips.

"Of course, you don't know.  _We_  don't even know."

To his surprise, a couple of titans left while the rest were totally mesmerized by the blond girl above them, totally disregarding the humans above.

"You don't know the key to saving humanity either, do you?"

A titan with messy brown hair, large green eyes, and a pudgy nose sat down at that moment. A breathy chuckle left Armin's mouth.

"Of course not. What am I trying to accomplish by speaking to you?"

Armin raised his head and looked up. He was being told to come back. He looked back down at the loathed creatures.

"See you. I'll be saving humanity alongside my friends next time we see each other and you won't be kept alive, not a single one of you."

In a cloud of a white gas, he flew up like a golden bird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this chapter show that I feel that Armin isn't the rightest in the head, lol?


	5. Bite her neck and kill her!

Armin gazed up at wooden ceiling. He could clearly see the variation in color in the wood.

“I’m already known.” He whispered.

Two days had passed since Armin had started to be known for his ability not to incite cannibal behaviors in the bloodthirsty titans, something they were obviously known for.

_That was so fast…_

A knock at his door made him jump. With an agile leap, he stood to get the door. He blinked when he saw Eren on the other side.

“Eren?” He let out.

Eren held up a tray of food.

“You haven’t gotten up to eat.” He told him.

Eren walked forward and Armin reflexively got out of the way.

“It’s because I’m not hungry. I ate this morning.”

Eren glanced at him.

“Eight hours ago?”

Armin bit his lip. He found it strange himself. He wasn’t hungry at all. Even this morning he wasn’t too enthusiastic to eat. It’s not like he was never hungry, it just took him longer to be hungry enough to have the desire to eat.

Concern was starting to show on Eren’s face.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Armin?”

Armin’s large eyes lingered in Eren’s before they finally lowered down to the floor.

“I’m not sure…” He let out, his voice low.

Armin turned to look at the window.

“I’ve been full of energy during the day and oddly weary once the sun sets. I used to stay up so late… I really think I’m turning into a titan.” He muttered.

Eren understood Armin's worry. Suddenly having a “connection” with titans was something difficult to get your head around and Eren had went through it too, in fact was still going through it, but he was just not showing it.

"You won't turn into a titan, Armin." He told him in a low but confident voice.

Armin turned back and just shook his head.

"How can you all be so sure? We know nothing about this, absolutely nothing. Instead of helping humanity, I'll be putting it in even more danger." He hissed.

Eren wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him. It was surprising how stubborn Armin could be. Once he thought something was supposed to be a certain way, he rarely backed down. This flaw was also a quality; an asset. That was what made Armin so strong mentally despite what others would think and Eren knew this part of him. It hadn't changed since he had turned into a girl.  _He_ hadn't changed since he had turned into a girl.

"Armin," Eren called out.

Blue eyes looked up at him.

"You're acting like the military police and the rest of the population. Did you think of me as a threat when I first came out of a titan? Did you abandon me then? And did I turn out to be humanity's enemy in the end?"

Armin's pink lips closed and opened over and over again as he tried to think of something to say back to him. His eyes were cast downwards and moving up ever so slightly and his fingers kept on moving with a sort of quick rhythm.

"It's not the same situation." He finally muttered.

It was obvious that he knew Eren had a point. Eren walked forward in two large strides and brought his hands up to Armin's soft cheeks. He pressed down and squeezed and stretched. Armin grimaced in response.

"See? You're completely normal. You feel just like a normal human."

Armin frowned and brought small hands up to Eren's darker cheeks. He squeezed and Eren groaned.

"Your body is normal too yet you're far from being normal." Armin muttered back.

Eren's eyes moved to the side.

"You got my point." He mumbled.

Armin chuckled and let him go. Eren soon followed suit.

Armin's arms fell to his sides and a quiet but audible breath left his lips. He closed his eyes and slowly opened them back up after a second. He looked at his impulsive friend with serious eyes.

"Okay. If in a week nothing has changed, I will admit that you're right. If something does happen, I want you to be there to prevent me from causing any harm."

Eren stared at him. He understood what his friend was telling him with those vague words. His hands tightened into fists unconsciously. He couldn’t help but yell his friend’s name.

Armin only smiled in return.

"Let's just hope I'll be fine, okay?" He said, his eyes searching for his agreement.

Eren sighed and crossed his arms across his chest.

"I know you'll be fine. Now go eat. And you better empty that plate."

Eren was now acting like a mother in Mikasa’s place. Armin nodded, a sweet smile on his lips. Eren blinked and his features softened before he smiled back. An instant later, the room was occupied by a single soul.

Armin took a few steps back and sat down on his bed. He eyed his tray before taking hold of it. He sighed softly and grabbed the wooden spoon.

He really didn't feel like eating.

\---   
The sound of the wind blowing into the dense masses of leaves above and the sound of talking were the only noise breaking the silence. Armin gazed at the undisturbed nature.

It was strange to be in the same place as Eren and even have an important role just like him. He wasn't overjoyed because this was where the most danger lied.

As if he had been heard, a trail of gas passed right by Gunther. Armin could see the green coat flying into the air before the person disappeared in the shade of the many trees. His eyes widened when he saw his superior drop from the air and hit a tree with force. It took him a moment for him to realize he was dead.

“W-what?” Eren let out, unconsciously slowing down.

Oluo grabbed his coat and pulled him ahead.

“Eren, keep moving!”

Everyone looked around and searched for the culprit.

“Was it the person who was in the female titan?” He heard someone ask.

He frowned.

_Did they not capture her?_

As if to answer his question, a blinding light illuminated the forest.

“Shit, it’s the female titan!”

Armin gritted his teeth, his heart now filled with panic. It was running toward them at a high speed and it was outing extreme pressure on him. Even aberrant titan didn’t intimidate him that way. Knowing an intelligent titan was running toward you rather than an aberrant made everything much more frightening.

“I’ve had enough of this, I’m fighting her!” Eren suddenly yelled.

He was immediately forbidden to do so.

“Don’t you trust us?” Petra let out after a heated exchange between Eren and his superiors..

Eren bit his lip, his eyes in thought. He inhaled and looked up.

“I believe you will succeed! Good luck!” He turned to his childhood friend. “Come on, Armin. Normal titans might not want to eat you but this one won’t leave you intact.”

Armin nodded and the two flew away from the battleground. The duo turned to look at the fighting soldiers. The female titan’s arms fell down to her sides as blood sprayed in the air and soon evaporated.

“They’re so strong… This battle looks one-sided.” Eren said with big eyes.

Armin nodded in agreement.

“They’re completely in synch without the help of words. That’s only possible because of the absolute trust they have in each other.” He told him.

He turned his eyes to Eren.

“We don’t have to worry about them. All we have to do is believe in them and worry about our own lives.”

Eren nodded and turned back forward to look at the trees rushing past him.

Armin watched as Eren’s face went from thoughtful to doubtful than to showing anxious fear. He turned to look back and Armin followed suit.

They turned just in time to see the female titan’s teeth crush down on Erd’s torso. It didn’t take long for the other two to perish in blood and pain.

The two young soldiers watched the scene before them in a sort of shocked trance. It was a mess of flying bodies and blood.

Eren’s eyes widened and his mouth opened, seemingly with effort.

“I’ve made the wrong choice!” He yelled at the top of his lungs as his eyes watered. “I should have believed in myself from the beginning! I should have joined the fight!”

As he watched Eren reprimand himself, Armin felt something deep inside him. Something was gradually growing in his chest like vines. He concentrated on it and willed for it to grow to its limit.

“It’s because I believed in them! Damn it!” Eren continued.

Armin took a deep breath and the feeling in his chest exploded.

"EREN!”

Eren’s head shot to his direction, his tear-filled eyes wide with surprise.

“Kill her!” He screamed. “Bite her neck and kill her!”

He was given a brief nod before Eren brought his hand to his mouth. Armin covered his face from the blinding white light. A furious Eren ran for the second, much more experienced titan shifter in a rage-fueled sprint. Armin followed him but soon broke off as to not get involved in the battle.

_I’m counting on you, Eren!_

A silent gasp pulled his lips apart when he saw the female titan’s eyes on him. A faint smile formed on its lips.

_That smile… it’s addressed to me!_

The smile soon disappeared when a black-haired titan that was Eren pushed her down. Armin bit his lip and flew away.

Armin held his breath when he heard the sharp sound of something rapid soaring through the air. He looked around and caught the sight of a green coat with the wings of freedom sewn into it. His heartbeat immediately sped up.

_That person must be Gunther’s killer!_

He lost sight of them but not for long. He heard the release of gas behind him along with Eren’s savage roar and turned around in midair. The person moved in the air with uncontested fluidity. No amount of agility could make him able to dodge the attack coming for him. He would have been able to dodge it with his increased agility if the person wasn’t one of the most skilled Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear user he had ever seen in his life, even after Mikasa.

The last thing Armin saw before feeling intense pain and losing consciousness was a sleeved elbow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is this mysterious soldier?


	6. I know nothing

The first thing that awoke was his sense of smell. He could smell moisture and even smell the humidity in the air. Pain soon followed. His head felt heavy and pain radiated from it. His hip and ribs burned, making it difficult to breathe. The smell and pain urged him to open his eyes.

He was in what he could only guess was a basement judging from the brick walls and the overall size of the room. The only source of light came from a small window behind him. There were wooden pillars in certain places and his arms were tied around one of them. Across from him was a robust-looking wooden door with a visible lock and on his right was another door that seemed much more tenuous than the other.

There wasn't much in here. There were items on a table covered with a white cloth. He couldn't really tell what was under. Other than that, there was a dark wooden chair on the far side, against the wall.

It took him a few seconds to see someone was sitting on it. He gasped in surprise. The person's leg budged in response. They stood up and their military uniform came into view. The badge on their breast pocket showed that they were from the Military Police Brigade.

They walked forward and a face could be seen. It was a girl of about the same age as Armin and his friends. Her reddish-brown curls stood out and made her olive green eyes even darker in contrast. She had a light patch of freckles on her pointy nose and had a beauty mark above her small lips. Her face was long and her features were quite sharp. Armin couldn't help but notice how fit she was.

Armin was certain he didn't know her. She brought her arms to her chest and crossed them.

"Looks like sleeping beauty is awake." She called out in her rough voice.

She turned back and grabbed her chair. It groaned as she dragged it across the floor and sat down in front of Armin. She crossed her legs again but this time with the opposite leg on top.

"It's unbelievable how you've turned into a girl." She said as she observed him. "That's what my father said. Are they lies though? Were you a girl from the start?"

Armin shook his head, his mind still a little hazy. A grin formed on the girl's lips.

"Can you prove it though?"

Armin blinked. He had been given a challenge. How could you prove gender without physical means? Even mentally he wasn't that masculine. It was obvious that the girl was getting enjoyment out of watching him think so hard.

"I'm kidding, I don't think you're lying."

Armin was glad he didn't have to prove anything anymore. He wouldn't quite know how to.

"You're here for a reason, Armin Arlert. We got a few samples from you for that certain reason."

Armin was a bit confused but it was straightforward enough. He was curious to know the reason for his abduction but it didn't seem like she was going to tell him.

A sudden and particularly strong wave of pain in his forehead made his vision darken and made a hiss leave his mouth. He heard the girl hum.

"Damn, I sure did a number on you. And I thought I had held back."

Armin's eyes narrowed, his mind finally working. The scenes from the 57th expedition came back to mind. The female titan and Eren were fighting and he flew away. That was when he was attacked.

He concluded three things from those returning memories. First, Annie was the female titan. His suspicions had been right. The smile she gave him was proof enough to him but he hoped everyone else got another proof to be sure of the titan's identity.

Second, the coat the then unknown soldier was wearing was definitely that of the Survey Corps. He still remembered those white and blue wings. It was definitely not a soldier from the military police.

And third, a soldier on the same level as Mikasa and Captain Levi had kidnapped him. He wasn't leaving this place easily.

"What are you going to use me for? And how did you get a Survey Corps uniform?" He asked, his voice weak.

Her eyes moved to Armin's vest before moving back up.

"I got the uniform with the help of my good friends. It's easy to get useful drugs when you're the daughter of a renowned doctor." She told him, a smile on her lips. "The only thing you have to do is tell us everything you know about the change that happened to you and what made it happen. You drank something right? We'll be satisfied with that info since your blood and much more can do the talking for you."

So that was it. They wanted the power he had. They wanted to do tests on him and make a concoction of their own. They could then sell it and earn both money and fame.

That or they wanted to use him as blackmail material.

Either way, he had to escape from this place. The question was how was he going to go through a person that could rival Mikasa and maybe Levi in skills? It was obvious she was proficient in hand to hand combat but hopefully, Armin could find some sort of weakness to defeat her.

"What's your goal? You want wealth and fame?" Armin asked, his voice calm.

She stood up swiftly and walked over to the door.

"Doesn't everybody?"

She opened the door and moved to the side. The white coat told him the man entering the door wasn't just a typical citizen. The man was identical to the girl except for his bigger nose and darker eyes.

He walked forward and Armin knew he wouldn't like the visit. The man sat down on the chair previously occupied by the girl.

"Armin Arlert, 15 and now a female. Must have been shock." He said in a deep voice.

Armin didn't know what to say so he stayed silent. The man wasn't expecting a response because he started speaking again after a few seconds.

"Now, tell us everything you know. You will help humanity with what you tell me."

"And help you too." Armin muttered, his voice barely audible.

The girl was at his side in a moment, her presence now menacing.

"She will be here to ensure you answer with absolute honesty."

The low tone in the man's voice made Armin swallow in both anxiety and nervousness. Dark eyes looked down at him, their intensity making his shoulders tremble with their crushing pressure.

He had read this in books. Torturing people for information wasn't something that was unheard of in both literature and the real world. He was now taking part in one of those situations as the victim and he couldn't reveal anything. He knew it could be the Survey Corps' downfall if he gave even a little hint.

"What was that drink made of? The squad leader must have told you, right?"

Armin would have sighed in relief he could. Hange hadn't told him much about the contents. He wasn't a bad liar per se but he didn't know how he would fare in a atmosphere of intense pressure.

"She hasn't." He answered, his voice low but steady.

The man raised an eyebrow.

"She hasn't? Are you sure?"

The girl's thigh pushed against his shoulder and his lips tightened. He nodded, not too slowly and not too quickly. He had to be cautious with what he said and how he acted so he could fool his interrogator. He spoke up when the man's eyes narrowed.

"I didn't ask since it could be something unappealing like insects."

The man sighed, disappointment audible in his voice.

"I'm sure you're lying. We don't want much from you, Armin Arlert."

He stood up and Armin could truly see how tall the man was. Seeing him next to the girl, perhaps his daughter from what the girl had said earlier, didn't do his height justice since she was tall herself.

In an instant, he was leaning in his face.

"You Survey Corps soldiers want the fame to yourselves, don't you. You want to keep on losing lives by wandering into the enemies' home? You're planning on keeping the concoction to yourselves so you can keep on leaving the walls, right? Selfish, aren't you?"

So that was what the citizens thought about the Survey Corps. Armin knew people thought they were wasting money on them but he didn't know it went this far.

Armin shook his head, his eyebrows knitted.

"That's not it..."

The man brought his face even closer to his, his eyes intensely staring into his. Armin's eyes automatically lowered making him stare at the man's neck.

"That's not it, huh? Then why don't you tell us the recipe. It won't hurt you. In fact, you'll be in pain if you don't."

Armin stared into the man's eyes, his lips tightly pushed together. If he kept his silence, he would certainly be hit. Telling him he didn't know probably brought forth the same results. He opted for the choice with fewer chances to have him in pain.

"Like I said, I don't know." He told him, his voice low.

The man left his field of vision and he saw movement from his peripheral vision. Just as he turned his head, a knee dug into his stomach, right below his ribcage.

The air was forcefully pushed out of his lungs followed by crushing pain in both his chest and hip. Saliva left his mouth as he doubled over, his knees nearly touching his chest and the joints of his shoulders hurting from the strain exerted on it.

Tears filled his eyes as he gasped for air. He had felt this kind of pain before. It was the same pain he felt when he slammed into a wall during his military training. It had hurt much more then, something he was thankful for, but in either situation, the feeling of his lungs lacking in air was unbearable.

He coughed when the first mouthful of air finally entered his lungs. He panted and swallowed when his coughing finally seized. He heard the girl's boots clicking on the stone floor as she walked beside him and lifted his head with her fingers on his chin.

"Now, you want tell us what you know?" She asked, her rough voice now light.

Armin swallowed the excess of saliva forming into his mouth.

"I know nothing." He replied in a breathy voice.

He received a kick to the shin and he hissed in pain. The man placed his hand on the girl's shoulder and she turned to him.

"We'll try again another day. He's in bad condition. You could have held back. You didn't need to let him fall, and don't tell me you couldn't catch him." He said to her, his voice stern.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest, her lips slightly pushed out in a pout.

"I wasn't sure if he was unconscious so I let gravity decide. I knew it wouldn't kill him and you had no trouble treating him, right? What's the problem?"

The man stared at her for a moment like he was ready to scold her but he instead sighed loudly. His hand left his daughter's shoulder and he turned around.

"We won't give you any food as long as you keep the information to yourself."

With that, the two left the room, leaving Armin to stare at the wooden door in complete helplessness.


	7. You would have to transform into a titan to escape this room

The sound of the heavy door opening along with the footsteps that followed woke Armin up.

For the last three days, Armin hadn't anything yet he wasn't starving. He was definitely hungry but it felt like he could last another week without the hint of nutriments. Of course he found it strange but his body had drastically changed so he took every change with an open mind and minimal fear.

Armin's hazy eyes stayed on the stone ground. His mind wasn't quite in the condition to think efficiently. He had spent the last two days in a low state of activity without getting a wink of sleep. Armin was clueless as to what could have caused this. Pain or discomfort? He had stopped feeling pain a day ago. Or was his changed body once again the cause? He knew nothing and could be sure of nothing. All he knew was that he didn't want this to happen forever. It felt terrible to be so sleepy yet being unable to actually fall asleep.

"Did you sleep well, Armin Arlert?"

He slowly looked up to see that both the father and daughter were here. All he gave them for an answer was a sigh.

He soon realized he hadn't thought of anything to tell them. It had been difficult to think coherently when he was at the verge of falling asleep the entirety of the two days. He had to think of something fast.

"Did you come up with something to tell us? You had plenty of time to think." Sara said, her hands around a bottle.

Armin shook his head slowly, his eyes on the bottle. He swallowed and his saliva barely altered the state of his dry throat.

"There's no reason for me to come up with anything. I know pretty much nothing about all this. I don't know more than you do. I could be turning into a titan for all I know." He let out softly.

Armin hadn't told a single lie in this sentence. Turning into a mindless titan was very much a possibility and he did know next to nothing about his body and the concoction Hange had made. Deep down, he wanted them to find out more about him-to find out what would become of him. All he had to hold on to was Hange's experiment with the rats. Even then, he didn't hold on too hard. Humans and rats were two different living things when it came to ingesting titan bodily fluids.

A loud sigh left the girl's lips.

"Dad, I don't think he's lying."

Both Armin and the man looked in her direction. Her eyes were fixed on him. They then lowered to his chest. Her father’s eyes followed and soon narrowed after a few seconds.

"Are you breathing?" He suddenly asked.

Armin's face turned into a frown instantly. The doctor walked over and placed his hands on his back and under his chest with surprising gentleness. It wasn’t necessary since Armin had seemed to have healed already. He lowered his head to have his ear besides Armin's nose. The latter made sure there was no alteration to his breathing. He couldn't help but think he was being touched a great deal these past days. The doctor finally straightened up and took a step back after a moment.

"You're chest isn't moving and your breathing is barely audible. I believe titans do not breathe."

Armin looked down at his chest, his face troubled. The more he discovered particularities with his body, the more it troubled him. Similarities with titans kept adding up and he didn't know how to efficiently deal with it. He quietly sighed through his nose. He wasn't going to panic no matter what.

"Untie him, Sara."

The girl obeyed and cut away the ropes keeping Armin's wrists bound. With another quiet sigh, he slowly brought his arms to rest on his thighs. They were sore from the lengthy time stuck in a single position. He gradually started executing restrained motions to restore the blood flow in them.

"I'm not fully sure you're telling the truth," Armin looked up at the doctor who was leaning on the wall. "but I will gradually found out with the samples I gathered from you so there is no need to deprave you of food any longer." He told him.

He detached himself from the wall and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Tell me, how hungry are you in a scale of one to ten?"

The girl, Sara, watched Armin with curiosity in her eyes. He lowered his eyes to his boots. What would be the best way to answer? That he was starving or that he wasn't hungry at all? He truly didn't know so he answered with honesty.

"Five..." He let out.

He observed the doctor’s face carefully. His dark eyes gave nothing away. He nodded after a moment and turned around to leave the room, the door closing behind him. Armin's attention was brought to the girl when he heard the sound of her boots. She held out the bottle she had been holding since she came here.

"Here you go. You're probably dying of thirst right now."

He took it without hesitation. Even if they slipped something in there, it wasn't like he would leave this place any earlier. Besides, his throat and mouth felt like the deserts he saw in his books. Well, that was what he imagined it felt like. He took a sip to discover that it was water and gulped down the rest of the bottle without the need for breaks. He could feel the girl watching him.

"Sorry about that. We don't want to be mean but if that's what it takes, we'll do it."

It was obvious there was a goal they were reaching for—something beyond fame and wealth. He opted for keeping his silence though he kept his eyes in hers.

She returned his gaze and sat down on the plain chair.

"You want to know, don't you? Well, it won't help you escape so why not?"

She glanced at the metal door before bringing her eyes back on the other individual in the room.

“My father cares about his patients and the only way to get some of the medicine and space needed is with the money and fame you will bring. It's honestly not as bad as some other people I’ve heard in wall Sina. Essentially, you’re a target for either tests like we’re doing, to be sold off to others or as a bribe to the military to receive money. Let’s say you could have it worst.” She explained with a faint smile on her lips.

Armin chewed on his lip, his fingers gripping his pants. Having such importance to humanity was dangerous. He supposed that as someone much weaker than the _titan-shifting_ Eren, he was a much easier target to get fast and almost guaranteed money. He just wished he could go back to the time when he was a normal soldier. This kind of life was too perilous for someone like him. The worst was that he had barely any control to what happened to him.

The door opened, taking him away from his thoughts. The doctor had come back with a hot bowl of some liquid. Armin soon found out it was soup from the strong smell of the vegetables. The doctor left as soon as the bowl was in Armin’s hands. Armin didn’t hesitate to start eating despite the thick vapor exiting the bowl.

“He’s always so busy. So busy in fact that he has to leave next week. I’m in charge of feeding you every day. I’m only available during the mornings and afternoons so get ready to have that as your new routine. I’m telling you this because I know it won’t change a thing. You would have to transform into a titan to escape this room. You can try if you want to.”

With that, she stood up and stretched. She glanced up at the small window behind Armin before turning around to leave the room.

“I’ll be back this afternoon.” She announced.

Armin watched her leave the room, the door clicking behind her. He set down the wooden bowl on his laps and sighed softly.

One problem was now gone but much more were still present. He would have to solve them one after another if he ever wanted to be at peace in his new life.


	8. I see you've got the basics down but this is nowhere near enough to defeat me

Multiples days had passed since his capture. He hadn't showered a single time since he was brought here yet he didn't smell like it. He was glad he wouldn't have to deal with his own body odor even though that fact in itself was strange and usual.

He was now pacing around the small room, thinking about a plan to escape. He was thinking of doing a surprise attack. It was one of the few ways to win against opponents much stronger than oneself. But how? He knew nothing of the girl's fighting style so he couldn't simply adapt to it. The only advantage he had was that he still had his Survey Corps cape.

This meant that if he did manage to bring her down, he would be able to partly hide himself as he wandered the streets. It was even possible that his gear hadn't been disposed of. He would easily be able to reach other soldiers, maybe even see Annie though his doubts against her might make him act unusual. He could always blame on all the events that have happened. The doctor was definitely away now that three days into the week had passed so he could maybe check the upper floor before leaving the house.

He sighed and walked over to the bathroom. Tepid water left the tap and he slowly washed his face using the white soap. He caught the sight of his reflection as he dried his face. He hadn't changed since he first became a girl but his hair now passed his back, where his shoulder blades met. He couldn't cut them since there were no scissors near by.

He left the bathroom and continued to pace around. He had a multitude of energy that felt limitless and he just couldn't keep himself on the hard chair. He glanced at it just as he heard sounds coming from the door. He quickly trotted to it. He flattened himself to the wall next to the door's opening and held his breath.

The door opened and the tray in the girl's hand came into view before her chest and head followed. Armin didn't qant to waste the food meant for him but he had no choice at this point. If she saw him against the wall, she would figure out what he had been trying to do and surprise would never work against her again. And so he jumped at her.

Her eyes widened when she caught sight of him. Armin's hands soon made contact with the sides of her waist. Just as he thought there was a possibility for his ambush to work, the hard wood of the tray dug into his skull and burning hot liquid drenched his face.

In a blur, he was slammed against the wall, his arms restrained behind his back and a leg keeping his legs from moving too much. All sorts of pain assaulted him as he thought of how much a failure that had been. Now, everything would certainly be much worse. The thought gave him strength to struggle against the girl's grip.

"I see you've got the basics down but this is nowhere near enough to defeat me." She said, her voice low.

Despite the hand on his head, Armin turned his head to look at the girl. Her eyes stared into his own.

"Let me tell you something. Everybody who is searching to get their hands on you know how you look like. You think your cape will be enough? How naive you would be to think that. People who are in search of money become much smarter at times. Trust me, you won't find going from person to person fun."

She was right, Armin couldn't deny that. To add to it, he had no idea where the soldiers resided and he found out he was in wall Sina, a place he had never set foot in before. It would be reckless and if his friends were searching for him here, it might make it more challenging to meet.

He relaxed his muscles and stopped struggling. It wasn't working anyways. The girl was much stronger than he was even if he still had his male body. He sighed, defeated. She gradually loosened her grip on him until they weren't touching anymore. Armin slowly turned around to face her.

She had her arms crossed on her chest. She was observing him with her sharp eyes.

"How about I train you? At least, you'd have a chance." She offered.

A frown formed on Armin's face. He couldn't think of a single good reason she would say such s thing. It seemed like there were no advantages to be gained apart from the fact that Armin may be able to defend himself if he somehow got out.

"Why would you offer to train me? What are you aiming to do?"  He asked as he wiped away the dripping liquid from his face with his sleeve.

The girl shrugged in response.

"Don't think about it too much. I just want to, okay? If I wasn't a soldier, I'd probably be a teacher of some sort. You'll be calling me Miss Sara from now on. Now, help me clean up the mess you made. Otherwise, you're not taking a shower."

Armin didn't have much choice so he crouched down and wiped away the tea spread out on the floor using a towel "Miss Sara" threw at him. After cleaning up everything, they both ascended to the upper floor.

Like he expected, the house was much larger and spacious than his own back in the Shiganshima District of Wall Maria. In addition, there was a room specifically filled with medical equipment. They passed that room to reach the bathroom. Sara opened the door to show the sizable room.

"You'll have to wear my clothes for now. You'll get your uniform back after I wash it. Now, go."

He was lightly pushed inside before the door closed behind him, leaving him completely alone once again.

"By the way..."

He turned back to look at the door.

"You're not getting any food today." She announced.

Armin wasn't particularly troubled by that but he knew it couldn't be good for his body.

With a sigh, he got himself undressed and stepped into the bath.


	9. Do you want them to find you?

Color breaking away from the brown brick walls of the room caught his attention. The small window allowed him to see outside. From where he stood, he could see the earth along with the wall of another house and part of the sky.

It was gradually turning a bright orange as the sun slowly lowered to touch the horizon. It was almost time for both him and the titans to close their eyes and drift away. He would soon become groggy and fall asleep immediately.

This showed him that the time for a break was coming. For the past weeks he had been practicing his hand to hand combat and he had gotten better thanks to Sara's training. She taught well with clear explanations and fluid, comprehensive movements. She had wanted to be a teacher but honestly, Armin thought she fitted more as an instructor for the military than a school teacher.

The training also aided his mind. He felt better now that he was decent at combat. He didn't feel as weak as before now that he could throw some well-thought punches. Armin was physically weak and he knew it. It was because he knew of this weakness that he trained so hard despite the fact that defeating Sara was a lost cause along with the fact that a certain fondness for her was steadily growing.

He knew this was strange, but then again, Sara wasn't acting much like a captor. The same could be said for her father though he was much less amusing to be with and did multiple tests on him like blood tests and others of the sort. Despite that, he wasn't bored or in solitude. He saw the doctor often while Sara came daily. When you interacted with the same people every day, it was inevitable that you would start getting familiar to them. In result, he was warming up to these people.

He walked over to his chair and grabbed his small towel. He lightly wiped his face and neck. He had noticed on his first week of training that he sweated much less than appropriate for the demanding moves Sara was teaching him. It was like all the basic things humans did to survive such as eating and sleeping were decreasing in terms of how much he had to do them.

This frightened him to say the least. As time passed, he discovered signs of him becoming less human.

He sighed lightly and sat down in his chair, waiting for the door to open and for Sara to announce he could take a shower.

The door opened after what Armin guessed was two minutes. Sara came in with a two slices of bread and a cup. She held them out and he took them.

"Thanks." He said to her.

She nodded in acknowledgment and took a step back. She sat down and crossed her legs like she did so often. Her elbows rested on the chair's resting rail.

Armin set his cup down on the floor and took a bite of his buttered bread. He wasn't given much food since they knew he had the stomach of a squirrel. The doctor wasn't disappointed in the least by that. He had a little less money to spend on him. In addition, it was another discovery on the new "advanced human" that he was.

"I have some news for you."

He blinked, taken out of his thoughts, and glanced up. He wiped off the crumbs from his lips with his hand.

"If you have news for me, I'm guessing it has something to do with the Survey Corps." He said, setting his slice down.

She nodded again, her eyes going up to the small window.

"As you probably guessed, the Survey Corps are looking for you. The problem is, after over a month they've narrowed down their search to wall Sina. My father isn't too happy about it." She said in a low voice.

He couldn't really tell what she was thinking from her expression. She didn't show her feelings often. Logically, she shouldn't be happy either.

"Does that mean you will have to relocate me somewhere else?" He asked.

It was obviously the way to go though it would be a risky operation. Hiding and transporting him away without looking suspicious was sure to be challenging. They could maybe say it's a dead body. Sara's father was a doctor after all. It's unlikely he can save everybody.

Sara slightly tilted her head to the side.

"I'm sure you know how hard that would be to do. We'll just wait it out. I doubt they've sent a whole squad in this region. I'll just have to take care of them."

Armin stared at her, his eyes fixed on hers. It didn't take long for her to understand what the message in his eyes meant. She pressed her lips tightly together.

"I won't kill them, don't worry. I probably can't anyways. I'll just knock them out. Besides, this is an "if" situation."

Relieved and satisfied, he resumed eating his bread. After a minute, he could feel her grayish-blue eyes on him, making it uncomfortable to ear. He slowly raised his eyes and met hers.

"Do you want them to find you?" She finally asked, her voice quiet.

The final piece of bread disappeared into his mouth as he thought about her question. The more his mind worked, the more he was confused and was clueless about his answer. He would love to see his friends that he hasn’t seen in weeks. They’ve all been together for years after all. They all had the time to discover attributes in each and every one of them to love and respect.

However, he had also found such attributes in the girl before him. Years hadn’t been needed for him to discover a few of them. She was the type of person that people easily warmed up to and respected. He honestly would have preferred for her to be in the 104th training squad with Eren, Mikasa, and everyone else. She would have surely gotten along with everyone.

With these two arguments in mind, he chose to say something that would keep him on the safe side.

“I don’t mind. Either way, whatever is in my body will save humanity. That has the most importance.” He answered her.

Sara stared at him and he frowned in response. She eventually sighed, a nearly undetectable smile on her lips.

“I highly doubt you truly don’t mind, Armin.”

Armin left a smile crawl onto his lips.

“Of course, if I can I would like to see my friends.” He admitted.

She hummed as she stood up.

“Now, let’s test what you’ve been doing this week. I don’t want you slacking off.” She told him as she rolled her shoulders.

Armin’s smile widened and he also stood up, throwing his towel back on the chair.

As they trained, Armin kept the Female Titan, or rather Annie, in mind. He had to think up of a plan to capture or something of the sort.

Annie had to be stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My God, I ship the two (Sara and Armin) so hard. Sorry Annie! You're great with Armin too!


	10. I'm a soldier, not a doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I really took forever with this one.

Armin quickly glanced at Sara's chair. Sara's father was sitting there, his eyes intensely staring at Armin with unwavering concentration.

The doctor had suddenly asked to assist to one of their training sessions after finding out a few minutes earlier. Of course, he wasn't too happy to learn that his daughter was essentially aiding the captive escape in an indirect way. Sara was ready to defend herself when the doctor surprisingly asked to see them in a training session. Armin could only suspect there was something to gain from watching him.

"Go on." The doctor urged.

Armin directed his gaze back to Sara who only shrugged in response. In an instant, their bodies started to move as they attacked the other and dodged their opponent's blows. As expected, Sara was taking the lead and Armin was forced into the defensive. He was soon pushed against the wall.

Armin had to think if he didn't want to receive a fist to the face. His eyes lowered as he thought. The only way to get out of this situation was to push her out of the way. Just as a fisted hand came his way, he crouched down with speed and grabbed her sides. She gasped when she was suddenly projected away from him, causing her to heavily crash into the chair her father currently occupied.

The stone floor did nothing to negate the sound of falling bodies. Movement seized completely when both the doctor and Sara were sprawled out on the floor in a mess of limbs. Armin stared in shock as they both got to their feet and looked at each other with surprise identical to the one he was feeling. He couldn't even begin to imagine what happened to his body for such strength to suddenly manifest.

"My God Armin..." Sara murmured as she turned to him, her voice high

The doctor's narrowed eyes stared at Armin from afar. Armin looked back at him before moving his gaze to the surprised girl.

"Sorry... I don’t know what just happened." He let out.

She bit her lip before looking up at her father who glanced back at her. Armin knew for certain that something would be done to him. When the two looked at each other liked that it meant they were planning to do something to him.

The two looked back at him with resolve in their eyes which confirmed his fear. People tended to forget they were in an unfavorable situation when everything was going well. Now he was forced to recall the reason he had been captured in the first place.

Sara made her way towards him as her father left the room, to prepare the medical equipment and tools most likely. Armin unconsciously leaned away from her as her hands landed on his shoulders. She gave them a squeeze.

"It's okay, Armin. It won't hurt." She murmured.

Armin wasn't fully sure about that but that wasn't the worst of his worries. Sara disappeared from his sight as she went behind him. He was lightly pushed forward and they began to walk.

"What is he going to do to me?" He asked, his voice low.

Her eyes met his as she looked up. She soon looked away.

"I don't know..." She mumbled.

Armin forced her to stop walking and looked at her with narrowed eyes. He was having a difficult time believing she knew absolutely nothing about the tests he was going to go through.

She frowned in response to his stare.

"I'm a soldier, not a doctor."

Armin sighed and the two left the room.

\---   
Armin felt absolutely nothing. All he saw was darkness. Whatever drug they had injected in his veins reduced him to a conscious comatose state. He had no idea what was being done to him. He could hear a variety of sounds but his brain seemed to refuse to try and determine what they were.

However, his brain did have the energy to think of many, many things. Things he never thought would crawl into his mind until now.

He was surprised by how comfortable he had gotten in this new body. It was as if he had always lived as a girl. In a way, he was slightly ashamed of his high speed of adaptability. He decided to blame the natural human ability to rapidly adapt for the ease he had in his now familiar body.

As time passed, he started wondering if he would be comfortable enough to create a family. It was a strange thought that had never really come to mind before. He was sure to die in battle anyways and so, the question of family never came to mind. Mikasa and Eren were basically siblings to him and it was enough.

It would be funny to see his friends' wide eyes as he came to them with a large, round belly and a smiling husband at his side. The image he had in his head of a happy life with a husband and child was fictitious and absurd to him but maybe, just maybe, it was possible now that he was a female.

His friends would fight to hold the little human being as both Eren and Mikasa yelled at them to be careful like old ladies. He would have laughed at the vision if he wasn't drugged and paralyzed at the moment.

His child would grow healthily as his friends fought the titans and with the help of the blood in his veins, defeated them. It would be a fairytale ending; life would be peaceful and everyone would be carefree and happy. Everyone would be alive and well and everyone's mutual fear would up and vanish.

The slight idea of such a great and peaceful life was absolutely ridiculous. The fact that he was thinking of the future in such a light was the proof that the drug was making him delirious.

He closed off these ludicrous thoughts and focused on Annie and his plan to capture her for information. His mind wasn't working in its highest capacity but it was better than thinking about babies and peace that wasn't coming.

\---   
Armin stared ahead at his captors with the most intensity he could muster in his exhausted state. He could barely lift his limbs and his words left his lips in a slow pace.

"This is important. I won't denounce you, I swear. Humanity might really go extinct if the female titan attacks once more. You won't have time to make your humanity-saving concoction when titans are devouring everyone within the walls, Doctor." He muttered unhurriedly, his eyes trained on the man.

The two glanced at each other before turning their backs on the weakened Armin. Sounds reached his ears but his brain didn't hassle itself with processing the words. Instead, his eyes fluttered closed and sleep slowly crept under his eyelids.

"Fine, but don’t reveal our name or home."

Armin would have jumped at the voice if he wasn't so fatigued. He forced his eyes to open and raised his head. He slowly blinked at them as Sara took a step forward and crouched down to meet Armin's eyes.

"Seriously, don’t. Tomorrow you’ll go. You'lll get your energy back thanks to the sun and we'll give you back your gear since you'll probably die on the streets or get captured again. Don't show your face and leave immediately. Of course, we won't be able to get you back after you leave."

Armin continued to stare at her, urging her to tell him of her motives. She stood up in response and made her way to the bathroom as her father left the room and closed the metal door behind him.

Armin eyes shut close again as he tried to guess the purpose of accepting his request despite the sleep quickly overcoming him.

 _Whatever it is, I need to leave this place_ , he thought.


	11. Spill it out, Arlert

The sound of a moving door and footsteps made him aware that Sara was coming back. A soft and warm towel suddenly caressed his face. Armin looked up weakly. Sara gave him a little smile in response. 

"Well, look at you. It's like you haven't slept in days."

Armin let out a sigh in response. She indicated for him to close his eyes as she gently wiped his eyes with the damp towel.

"I have no idea if the plan will work. Annie might figure out were leading her into a trap." He mumbled absently.

The towel lowered to his neck but he kept his eyes closed.

"The plan..." She began. "Will you carry it out here since she's in the Military Police?"

Armin answered affirmatively with a little motion of his head. The comforting warmth of the towel left his skin and his eyes automatically opened. Pale gray eyes appeared in his field of vision.

"I think it will work. Even if I don't know what it is. I just hope you'll get to use the hold on someone."

A weak frown formed on his face.

"We're fighting titans, not humans."

She shook her head slightly.

"Titan shifters. You're fighting titan shifters. And they can be humans at times, right? You will use it, I assure you."

A little smile crawled onto his lips as his eyes fell until he was staring at the ground.

"If you say so."

Sara stood up and disappeared into the bathroom once more. She soon came back.

"I better leave. You're falling asleep on me. You better make that plan work, Armin. I'm counting on you... We're all counting on you."

With that, she quickly left the room.

Armin didn't like the sound of her words but for the plan to succeed, he had to do his part well.

He sighed softly and closed his eyes. He was going to deal with this when he was fully awake and full of energy.  
\---   
He dried his long hair after a well-deserved shower. Even after a night of sleep and a shower, he still felt tired and groggy. Either the drug gave its last effects or whatever the doctor did to him took a lot out of him. He was a bit sore but at least there was no pain anywhere. He quickly put on his uniform.

Today was the day he would leave this place after over a month. The doctor must have been a very good actor and an expert at hiding for Armin to have been here all this time.

It was surprising that the military hadn't found him yet. That or they weren't searching too hard which wasn't very reasonable since he did have the key to saving humanity, just like Eren. Now, he was going to come back by himself like he went out for a little walk. He wished he had been found rather than getting himself out by himself but either way he was out and there was a chance to gather vital information from Annie. He was still having a hard time believing Annie could be the female titan but the way she distanced herself from everyone and the subtle cleverness that emanated from her didn't make it so far-fetched.

How would the person know of Eren's and Armin's position if she didn't have some kind of source or first-hand access to the information? Surely, the person could not be a random citizen from within Wall Sina. Eren would have to prove it was her from her fighting style.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know if Eren won the fight. There was a multitude of reasons for Eren to have lost that fight. The female titan had much more experience in being a titan than Eren, no questions there. If it really is Annie, she has superior combat skills and Eren wasn't the best in the class either. Annie was superior in a great amount of things as she proved with her fourth rank in the class' top ten. Now, Armin was worried that his friend was either dead or taken away in some way. That could explain why Armin was still here.

Sara must have seen the worry on his face because he received a tap on the shoulder.

"What are you worrying about? Getting kidnapped? Just fly away and you'll be fine." She said with smile.

He moved around a bit to confirm that his gear was solidly in place before looking up at her.

"Is Eren okay?" He asked, his voice quiet.

She blinked.

"Eren Jeager? Fine, I don't know, but he's alive for sure. I'm sure he's fine. Titan shifters heal quickly, right? Nothing to worry about."

He slowly nodded after a few seconds before draping his cape over his shoulders. His large hood covered much more than it usually would which gave him a certain amount of comfort.

"Ready to go?"

Armin turned around to face the owner of the voice. The doctor was looking him with his analyzing, penetrating eyes that he detested. Armin nodded briefly and turned back around to open the door. His fingers closed around the handle and he pushed it open.

A light breeze and the beating sun welcomed him outside. The sun was setting and it was beginning to darken but the night was still half an hour away. A man passed by without giving him a single glance which eased his anxiety a little. He took a second to take a good breath before turning around to close the door. Sara's eyes met his as the door slowly closed.

Deep down, he knew he would see her again. He just felt it. She did ask him if the plan would be carried out in Wall Sina. It seemed obvious enough she would be present.

And so he walked away without any extra thoughts.

He didn't even take five steps before he saw a familiar face.

"Well, they sure were getting close." He murmured under his breath.

With a deep breath, he hurried over.

"Jean!" He whispered harshly.

The soldier turned around quickly, his arms ready to strike if needed. His arms fell limply to his sides when Armin faintly lifted his hood to show his face. Jean's lips parted to say Armin's name but the latter was expecting it and covered the taller boy's mouth before he could even get the first letter out.

"You guys are so late I had to get out myself!" He loudly whispered.

Jean blinked in surprise as the hand keeping his mouth shut vanished. His lips parted once more but the words took a second to escape.

"You're okay..." He breathed out.

Sudden hands landed on Armin's cheeks, cupping his face. Blue eyes widened in response to the sudden gesture.

"Oh my God, you're okay." He repeated.

Armin's face formed into a frown.

"Um, Jean?"

Jean's mouth opened slightly as he realized what he was doing.

"Ah, sorry."

He took a step back and brought a hand to his hair with his eyes cast down.

"It's just, we all thought you were chained up in a dark basement somewhere left to starve with all kinds of injuries from strange tests or something. That or you were being sold around like a slave. As time passed, we even thought you might have died." He told him, his voice weak.

Armin's frown deepened and he just shook his head.

"I'm fine, I'm alright. What about Eren? Is he okay?"

Jean brought a hand to his hip.

"He's completely fine. Sure, he might not be with us now if Captain Levi hadn't been there, but he's totally fine."

Armin bit his lip and Jean sighed loudly.

"Come on, let's go. I have to tell everyone I found you." He said as he turned around and grabbed his gear's handles.

Armin looked back at the house he occupied for all those weeks before lifting up into the air to follow Jean.

\---

He nearly felt uncomfortable as he explained what happened to all the familiar faces. He hadn't seen them in such a long time that he wasn't sure how to speak to them. He was happy to see Eren completely fine as Jean said though.

He told them how he had been captured and how he had a few tests done on him. He found it unnecessary to tell them he was training with Sara and instead told them the few things he could remember the doctor saying about his body.

"And I didn't give out information about Squad Leader Hange's drink since I don't know much about it anyways." He finished.

Everyone exchanged glances to each other and Armin felt the urge to stand up and leave the room to get away from all those eyes. He had been nearly alone for all those days and this room just had too many people in it. He tried to keep himself from cringing away in his chair.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Reiner finally asked, the concern evident in his expression.

Armin nodded once more. They kept on asking him if he was alright. They must have thought of very unpleasant things for them to look at him like that and repeatedly ask how he was doing. It  _was_  strange for him to be completely okay so he did understand where the worry was coming from.

"They didn't give any names?" Hange asked as she straightened up from her position on the wall.

They had. Well, more specifically, Sara told him. Ethan and Sara Krause, a wealthy family living somewhere in Wall Sina. Sara even told him she was supposed to be a normal girl who would have children and help humanity as her father put it. She had rather wanted to help by being a soldier and in the end she became the best soldier of her class. She was going to help somewhere along the way, he was sure.

He didn't want to tell them since it was essentially one of the only two conditions they had given him to leave, but he also had no energy to lie and he knew he would be found out by his superiors in a second.

"They did." He decided to simply answer.

Everyone's eyes bore into him as they waited for him to continue.

"It was the only condition they gave me to leave." He finally added after a few intense seconds of staring.

By the way everyone's faces contorted, he knew he had said something either strange or absurd. He just stared at them, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"So they did do something to you." Eren let out, his arms crossed across his chest.

Armin just frowned at him. He only kept his word because he hadn't been treated badly like he expected. Besides, he didn't want Sara and her father to be labeled as criminals. They weren't bad people.

He heard a few whispered sentences from his friends, particularly "look how skinny he got" and "he's slouching like he wants to make himself small". It sounded ridiculous to his ears but he was starting to think he really had gotten skinny and he really was slouching. It wasn't for whatever reason they were thinking though. He saw it wise to keep his mouth shut in hope they would not press any further.

Captain Levi listened to the variety of comments being made around him and sighed loudly which silenced everyone. Sharp dark eyes settled on Armin.

"Spill it out, Arlert." He ordered.

The strength in the captain's voice made Armin's fingers curl around his arms unconsciously. All his friends talking all at once and now the captain's strong voice was making him nervous. The stone basement was always so silent and the Krause family never spoke louder than needed. The noise was unwelcomed. Everyone shot him and Levi a few looks. He had to spill it out after all. When he did, Levi nodded at him.

His friends were still giving him looks so he spoke up.

"Never mind all this, we have something more important to talk about."

More frowns were made among the group but he ignored them all.

"I have a plan to capture the female titan, no, Annie Leonhart."


	12. They're not bad people.

He had failed. Armin had failed to trick Annie. He wasn't overly surprised since Annie wasn't lacking in the mental department like certain of his friends. His failure to fool her wasn't the only procedure that hadn't gone well. Eren didn't manage to transform until the very end. At least Armin did get the right person. Eren was also able to prove it was Annie though he didn't admit it in words. At the very least, they could say that they did a good thing: identify the female titan. Now, all that was left was to stop her.

It wasn't going too well. Armin watched the two titan shifters as they fought on the edge of Wall Sina. Eren soon found himself on the ground. A single glimpse at The Female Titan's eyes showed Armin that Annie was truly desperate. Those eyes, so human in such a monstrous and giant body, made him think back to the time when he first saw Annie after such a long time. It was hard to believe it that it only had been minutes ago that he was talking to a very human Annie.

He had called out to her in a rough whisper enough for her to hear through the loud steps of the running soldiers. She turned around the corner and there she was with her rifle to her back. She had seemed so human as her eyes widened at the sight of a female Armin. It was at this moment that he realized how much he wanted to be wrong. How much he wanted it to be a mistake. How much he wanted Annie to be a simple human girl.

It was too late now. He had been proven right and now two titans were in a heated battle inside the city's wall. He couldn't help but wish that nothing had happened. There wouldn't be so much trouble and death around him if Annie had been on humanity's side instead of against it.

Armin hushed those thoughts out. It wasn't time for these type of pointless ideas. All he had to care about was that the plan would succeed and that they would capture Annie Leonhart alive and capable of speaking.

Eren suddenly found himself on the ground, his head hung and his shoulders slouching. Annie turned around as soon as she was sure that Eren wasn't getting up at the moment and started running for the wall. She leaped on the wall and started climbing, one arm at a time.

Hange cried out as soon as she saw Annie move.

"If she gets away, we might never catch her again." Armin let out as Hange jumped down.

"That wouldn't be good, now would it."

Everyone present on the roof flinched in response to the unexpected voice and turned around to see the owner. Armin's eyes widened when he saw familiar olive-green eyes.

"So you came after all." He said as the others gave him glances.

She grinned at him.

"Of course. I need to prove myself to Commander Erwin after all."

Armin frowned but she was already running toward The Female Titan who had Eren gripping onto her shin.

"Armin..." Someone uttered, their voice restrained.

Armin turned to look at a nearly angry Mikasa. Jean took a step beside him.

"Is she one of your captors?" He asked, his eyes shadowed.

Armin's lips tightened as he faced them.

"Yes."

The two's faces twisted into a grimace. He looked away quickly.

"Mikasa, go help her stop Annie. You're the most competent soldier here." He said to her, his eyes still looking down.

Armin raised his eyes when he felt Mikasa's fierce glare on him. He stared back weakly. After a few intense seconds, Mikasa roughly turned around, her hair flying behind her, and jumped away.

Armin could feel Jean's eyes on him but he kept his gaze on Mikasa who had already reached the wall. The two teenage soldiers exchanged a few words before slicing through The Female Titan's massive fingers. The two's boots made contact with Annie's before her heavy body rapidly brought her down.

An enraged Eren didn't waste a single second to leap at her and rip the skin of her neck off. Everyone watched with astonishment as Eren stopped short of swallowing Annie whole. Then suddenly, a crystal suddenly started to form, fusing Eren's titan arms to The Female Titan's body. 

And the fight ended without a single winner.

\--- 

Armin watched as an unconscious Eren was "propped up by Mikasa's strong arms. Strange red markings had developed on the sides of his face. The expression of worry on Mikasa's face was apparent. Thankfully, Eren soon opened his eyes. They slowly moved to Mikasa's own.

"Mikasa... Where's Annie?"

Mikasa bit her lip and turned her head. Eren sluggishly turn his head and followed her gaze. Jean was hacking away at Annie's crystal prison, his voice raised high.

The sound of boots crunching on the earth below announced the presence of someone before the hand on his shoulder did. He looked back to see Sara's smiling face. Her smile was confident and her disorderly hair made sure to make everyone aware of all the action she had just done.

With that single touch, she started walking forward, attracting Mikasa's attention away from Jean. Armin felt two pairs of eyes rise to his face but he kept his gaze on Sara. He was wondering where she was headed to with that confident smile on her lips.

Was she heading back to her father to tell him she had found him? Was she going to kidnap him again somehow? Did they let him go to just get him back again? He had no idea but he couldn't help but think negatively as she walked away.

It seemed he wasn't the only one because Mikasa quickly stood up after ensuring Eren could sit up by himself. Her narrowed eyes and set jaw told him everything he needed to know about her state of mind.

"We have to get her arrested." She muttered as her eyes bore into the girl's back.

Armin eyes flickered to her involuntarily and she intercepted it with a surprised flutter of her eyelashes. He refrained from saying anything since he knew it wouldn't help his cause. Mikasa's dark eyes widened slightly as she further examined Armin's expression.

"You don't want her to be punished for what she did to you?" She declared, her voice filled with disapproval.

All of his friends had strange ideas as to what happened to him when he had been confined. He guessed it was normal to start thinking of all sorts of things, he would have if it had been one of his companions instead of him, but Armin seemed fine to himself. The way he looked should have been enough to make whatever thoughts they had disappear. He admitted that saying nothing had been done to him would be a lie but nothing too serious had happened to him.

"They're not bad people." He finally answered her.

The unrefined snort she made indicated that he provided her with an unsatisfactory reply. She took off before he could even blink. He hurried to her side. 

After a couple of steps, he realized Sara was going straight for Commander Erwin. He had an idea of what she intended to do but he wasn't sure what would be the benefits to gain from it and above all, if the commander would accept or rather order the Military Police to detain her on the spot.

Erwin wordlessly watched as the girl walked toward him and stopped a couple of feet from him, followed by two other young soldiers, one concerned and the other furious.

Sara's smile stayed as confident as it was a few seconds ago.

"Hello, Commander Erwin. I would like to join the survey corps."


	13. "Come on, what's more distressing than titans eating us all?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, it's been what, three months since I last updated? Oops.

"This is reckless."

Everyone looked over at Armin who had whispered this complaint.

"The plan to capture Annie was reckless too." Reiner remarked.

Armin shook his head as him and his team turned the corner.

Sara, now a new member of the Surveys Corps, nodded in agreement.

"This is another level of recklessness. Capturing a titan doesn't involve the same amount of effort and danger than killing them or running away. Keeping someone or something can be much more difficult than killing, you know. The only reason we didn't have too much trouble capturing Sawney and Bean was because they came to us. Now we're going to their territory!" Armin continued.

They all, except for Eren who just stared ahead as he walked, gave him a variety of negative looks.

"We'll search for lone titans and avoid groups. It might actually be easier." Connie commented.

Armin just sighed. He just had a bad feeling about this.

\---   
It was barely noticeable but he could see the tension in Eren's muscles. He wasn't sure what the source of this nervousness was but it worried him a little. The concerned look Mikasa gave Armin confirmed that the state he was in wasn't the result of excitement. Alarm, apprehension or anxiety; Armin wasn't sure what was eating at his friend but it was infectious.

"Eren."

Silvery green eyes slowly lifted to his own. The look he gave helped in no way to reassure his friends. Armin had to admit that he was fairly surprised to see such an expression on his friend's face. With a bit of thought, he figured out what was wrong with his usually determined friend.

"You're worried about the whole titan shifting thing aren't you? That's not really like you." He tried to say casually.

Eren's lips lifted into a faint smile.

"Well, it seems your worry is contagious, Armin."

Armin's horse snorted and shifted its weight, moving Armin along with it.

"Well, it seems you're not worrying about the same thing as I am. Come on, what's more distressing than titans eating us all?"

He was only 80% serious as he uttered his last sentence. Eren shrugged.

"I almost killed Mikasa while in titan form." He whispered so only his childhood friends could hear. "And transforming doesn't work all the time. Like you said, this is more than reckless."

Finally someone agreed with him. He didn't like admitting it but the fact that Eren wasn't a titan-shifting expert was one of his biggest worries. Mikasa moved forward.

"Eren, worrying is Armin's job. You're supposed to charge without thinking. Leave all that stressing for Armin."

Eren glanced over at a grinning Armin and chuckled quietly, making a subtle smile form on Mikasa's lips.

"You're right. What's wrong with me?"

He shook his head a couple of times.

"Let's do this guys!"

A few of the others turned around to look at Eren while Armin and Mikasa smiled in triumph.

At the same moment, Commander Erwin directed everyone to go forward and the horses started galloping to reach the freedom that was outside the walls.

Only the wind and the horses' hooves broke the silence. They were approaching a patch of trees to the right. In Armin's eyes, the mixture of greens and brown seemed ominous despite the fact that a forest was a very good fit with 3D maneuver gear. Sasha, who had gradually been approaching him, followed his gaze.

"You feel it too?" She said in low voice, still audible despite the heavy sound of hooves. "Something's not right over there."

The people within earshot turned their head her way with a variety of expressions on their face. Sasha's forbidding words silenced everyone. Unfortunately, Sasha's and Armin's instincts were absolutely correct.

In an instant, chaos entered the scene, completely uninvited. What seemed like more than a dozen titans suddenly charged toward them, seemingly in compliance with a plan. Over half of them were aberrant, leaving the group of soldiers in absolute panic.

"What the hell?" Jean let out, his voice faltering.

"I knew it. Damn it, I knew it." Armin let out in a breath.

A common feeling of anxiety filled and enveloped everyone's hearts. Before everyone could start screaming, asking everybody, anybody, what to do, the commander's booming voice broke into the agitation and confusion.

They were the words they were expecting, for some hoping for: turn away from the herd of titans. Everyone obeyed without a second to spare.

"Well shit." Ymir muttered between her teeth.

Krista gave her a wide-eyed look in response as everyone turned to Ymir with her words representing very well what they all felt.

“Yup.” Sara agreed in monotone voice.

"Oh no..."

Bertolt's dread-filled murmur caused heads to turn as quickly as the words had been uttered.

"M-More of them?" Krista exclaimed in a breath.

A larger quantity of titans were nearly surrounding them, the slower ones being left behind as the much faster one closed in the distance.

Armin breathed in a sharp breath of air. As he watched the titans chase after his group, the thought that all of this was his fault crashed into him. His weird smell had attracted them and now there wasn't much to do besides moving forward until the horses tired themselves out and the titans scooped them up.

Armin's eyes travelled from face to face, giving them all silent apologies. A single pair of eyes caught his gaze. Eren's wide eyes stared right into his. Armin understood what Eren was thinking.

_I'm the last hope._

Just as he was about to encourage him, Eren's name was suddenly yelled with power. Captain Levi, Commander Erwin, Squad Leader Hange along with the rest of the group were all turned to him, their eyes full of expectation and specks of hope.

"Now's the time!" Levi shouted.

Armin saw his friend visibly swallow from where he was, now close in all the panic. Eren brought a hand to his mouth and planted his teeth into the flesh of his own thumb.

But it was too late.

A massive hand smacked down on the head of Mikasa's horse, sending her flying into Armin's horse and starting the chain reaction of chaos.

With a single strike, the aberrant titan with an unnaturally long neck had put the soldier who was worth an army down along with the male turned female, the titan-shifting boy and the gourmand huntress.

Armin heard multiple screams, unrecognizable to his worn out brain, and knew it was over. He could see both Mikasa and Eren ahead of him, one of them alarmingly still and the other trying to lift himself up on the vibrating ground. The sound of hooves quickly vanished to be replaced by the sound of giant feet repeatedly making contact with the ground.

Despite the pain and hopelessness he felt, Armin got himself on his unsteady legs, one of them numb and trembling. A few horses were coming back but he couldn't tell who the rider was with his hazy vision. White gas appeared in the air in an instant and his eyes automatically followed the line of white. With effort, he turned around toward the advancing titans and caught sight of a bleeding Sasha on her hands and knees, her face obscured by a mess of bloody and sticky hair.

They were coming. Coming very fast and he had no way to stop them from killing his friends. He knew since the beginning that it would end like this yet he had never prepared himself for this moment. It had been a mistake because now, he regretted everything. Enrolling in the army had been a stupid thing to do for a weak person like him. Now he was paying the price.

The vibration had gotten to an extreme and his unstable legs let him fall immediately after the first tremor. Sasha's blood sprinkled the grass below at each quiver of the earth and he just hoped she would have a quick, painless death. However, as seconds passed, he realized he didn't hope for that at all. He had to do something. A desperate man's last attempt to survive.

So he opened his mouth, took a deep breath and threw his head back.

"DON'T KILL HER!"

At the sound of the wild, throaty scream, the titans all stopped in their tracks.


	14. You saved us, Arlert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp

A shaky breath left Armin's lips as Sasha quietly sighed in relief. The titans had all stopped what they were doing. Movement had seized except for the confused airborne soldiers changing their trajectory because of the sudden cessation of dangerous swings, and the agitated horses.

Now that the ground had stopped shaking, Armin could finally get up on his feet. He heard a collection of footsteps coming his way and turned around. Some of his friends had come his way, their faces filled with disbelief and concern. The rest of them ran to the injured soldiers' aid with the help of other Survey Corps members.

"What did you do? Why did they stop?" Reiner asked, his eyes wide.

Everyone seemed to be asking the exact same questions from their amazed expressions. Armin's lips parted to speak but didn't have a hint of an explanation either.

"Arlert."

Pairs of eyes moved to Captain Levi who had dismounted his horse. Commander Erwin was at his side, his body swaying as his horse shifted its weight and shook its head.

"Tell them to beat it." 

Armin's lips parted and closed before he finally gave a reply to the captain.

"I have no idea what I did." He let out.

If screaming at them was an effective combat tactic, humanity would have won the war against these flesh-eating giants as soon as the long-lasting peace had shattered years ago.

"Scream." A strangled voice let out.

The sound of his friend's voice made his throat feel dry. Armin turn to Eren who had Jean's shoulder as support.

"Scream again and tell them what to do. It's better than if I transform. They're too many." He finished, his voice altered by the blood in his throat.

Armin turned his attention to the unblinking pillars made of flesh and evaporating blood. He had screamed without even a single shred of hope that the titans would listen. There had just been nothing left to do. Now that they  _had_ stopped he was at a loss. Now, he was almost completely confident that they would resume their attack if he uttered a single word intended for them. He was afraid to scream at them again. Not everything is effective more than once.

"They'll listen." Eren told him, his eyes intense despite them being unfocused. "Believe they will and they'll listen."

How could Eren be so certain was an mystery but the way his eyes shone made Armin want to believe it would truly proceed so well.

"Thanks to his companion's faith, he felt he could at least make an attempt. So he straightened his back, planted his feet in the earth below and took a deep breath.

"Leave us alone!"

At the sound of the bloody girl, the titans blinked in unison as if wakened from their stupor. They all began to move, but not to leave the group of weakened humans alone. Instead, they all reached into the group of prey as their nature as titans resurfaced.

Armin's frenzied heartbeats mirrored his comrades' distress. A couple of levelheaded soldiers ran to their horses as the others gaped in paralyzing horror at the immense fingers reaching for them. A few of them stood there, their face calm despite the tears in their eyes. They had chosen to accept their imminent death.

The sunlight vanished in an instant and darkness surrounded Armin and the people he held dear.

Jean was still holding on to Eren, his blade up in the air and his teeth gritted. Vapor surrounded the two of them as Eren's wounds healed. Despite the accelerated healing, Eren still seemed out of it as he stared at the massive hands with distant eyes.

Connie and Sasha were now standing but their shaking legs could bring them back down in an instant. Christia, her eyes brilliant with tears, had an unconscious Mikasa in her arms. Ymir was holding on to the crying girl’s shoulders and was looking up with narrowed eyes.

Reiner and Bertolt were looking intensely at each other, a silent exchange between them obvious to whoever gave them a glance.

Armin's superiors were shouting orders that only a few were following. Sara was included in that little group. All in all, it was absolute chaos.

He was aware the end was truly coming this time but deep at his core, he felt that this shouldn't be the conclusion of his life. It would truly be the end when titans were no more. It would truly be the end when he would have set foot in the places where water was endless and the sand stretched out infinitely.

No, this was not the end.

Now brimming with groundless confidence and not despair, he opened his mouth and inhaled deeply.

"PISS OFF!"

The heads of the people nearby turned his way. Armin held his breath as the gigantic fingertips halted their course a meter away from his face. They hovered there for three excruciating seconds before giving way to the welcomed sunlight. A collective release of breath was heard throughout the group of soldiers, but nobody took their guard down right away. They only relaxed when the titans started to slowly leave like dogs displeased to have their owner tell them not to eat a bird or a squirrel.

Sudden arms wrapped Armin in an embrace. Both Sasha and Connie were squeezing him with all their might.

"We're alive, we're alive!" Sasha exclaimed, her bloody smile contagious.

At the sound of her grateful voice, the spared soldiers let out cries of relief. Squeezes and tears characterized the joyous moment.

Armin felt hot breath followed by a caress against the nape of his neck and turned around, dragging the two sobbing teenagers with him. It was Erwin's horse who had brushed its muzzle against Armin's skin as if it knew Armin had saved its life. Erwin looked down at the blond girl who had rescued his soldiers' lives along with his own.

"You saved us, Arlert." He said to him, his voice surprisingly light.

It was at this moment that Armin realized he really had prevented everyone's evident death. Somehow.

He just stared ahead at his commander who had the hint of a smile on his lips.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed someone coming his way. He soon received a bright smile from Eren who has already healed. Thanks to the movement, which brought him out of his daze, he noticed that he was fixing the commander. He mumbled an apology to which the commander responded by giving him a smile. With that, he began shouting orders at his soldiers.

In a few minutes, everyone, injured or not, was riding back to the safety of the walls.


End file.
